


Sign of Times

by Cratormaster



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-03
Updated: 2018-07-03
Packaged: 2019-06-01 19:25:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15150170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cratormaster/pseuds/Cratormaster
Summary: The world is no more. The space-time continuum was completely distorted. That's not good. At all. Watch as Ash is sent back in time to the beginning of his journey with a blonde girl he never thought would ever have to work with to save the world. Humorous, and not goal-oriented.





	Sign of Times

**Author's Note:**

> Before starting, I'll like to address a few things:
> 
> First! I do not write BS. Each story I pour my life and soul into it. Unlike some writers on the site who write when they feel like it, I am ultra-dedicated to this fic. It is a project that I enjoy, and I hope to build a community of fans and friends around it.
> 
> The BEGINNING of this story is based off Ashes of the Past, since it was basically the fic that introduced me to writing. I'm saying this so people don't have to comment anonymously like chickens that it is a rip-off of Ashes of the Past.
> 
> The introduction of Ashes of the Past is brilliant, and I do feel that it can serve as a great start to any fic. In fact, Saphroneth's start has the potential to become a really popular style: The Reminding Retrace.
> 
> However, this will change drastically beginning Chapter 20. My fiction has very different details compared to Saphroneth's fic. For one thing, my fiction consists of a lot of scientific details and sarcasm... also comical nonsense that serves no purpose whatsoever.
> 
> As of this note, I am currently writing Chapter 42, and I can assure you that the path this fic will go down will NOT be the path Ashes of the Past is going down. In fact, this path is probably not what any Pokemon fic had evolved into, last I checked.
> 
> Also, if you have any questions at all, please review or PM me. I respond very quickly. You can ask the people who comment frequently and they will confirm my statement. This is because I value all of my readers and fans very highly.
> 
> That being said, please enjoy the fanfic. If you had never heard of Ashes of the Past, just continue reading, and I promise you that you will be absorbed into a world of incredibility.

Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town, competitor of five regional tournaments, winner of Orange League, the first completer of the Battle Frontier, saver of worlds, the Chosen One, savior of legendaries, stood within a bubble, surrounded by nothingness all around him. Well, technically, not all nothingness, for that bubbles similar to his floated in space. He frowned, not quite sure what was happening. He had just returned home from Kalos, and was about to enter the door and prepared to be greeted by Delia's bone-crushing hug when everything faded to black.

He looked out the bubble and saw another bubble which contains a blonde girl with her hair in tight curls. When their eyes meet, the other bubble came crashing at him. The girl looks familiar, but her name couldn't come to his mind. The impact shook both bubbles, which combined to form a bigger bubble.

She staggered and tripped. Ash rushed over and grabbed her up before she came into contact with the ground... or the bottom of the bubble.

The girl looked up from his hold and gasped, "Ash Ketchum?"

Ash asked, surprised, "You know me?"

"You're my greatest enemy," She said, while looking into his eyes, dead serious.

"Huh?" A befuddled Ash asked.

"Now let go of me," She struggled in his grasp. Failing to break out, she blushed a bit, "Hey! Enemies aren't supposed to act like this."

"Wait, you're Domino! I met you before with the Mewtwo thing. Oh wait, you don't remember..."

"Now I do, with whatever happened that got us into this crap," She motioned the surroundings, "Hey we're supposed to be enemies! Now stop talking this calmly and put me down!"

Her serious orders sounded so funny to Ash, as she was still restraint in his arms. Laughing, he teased her, "I don't feel like it."

Hearing this, she stuttered, "You... you what!? Fine, if you are forcing me to hurt you, I will." Putting her Rocket-trained moves to use, she punched his shoulder. Hard. The impulse gave Domino enough space between the two enough to let out a high kick, striking Ash in the chest and knocking him to the ground.

The many years of journeying through the wild and dealing with situations that could, had and would destroy the world had been kind to Ash. As Domino was standing over him, he reached over and grabbed her legs, flipping her beside him and rolling on top, pinning her down.

"HA! Who's better now," He said smugly, as his breath tickled Domino's face. The blonde struggled beneath him, trying to push him up. Ash laid on top of her, nose only a few inches from hers, lightly blowing a breath onto her face, now red from the close position they were now in, "No counters for this?"

Domino's purple eyes suddenly turned a light pink that matched her face and a sudden colored energy flowed over her and onto Ash, who was thrown off and crashed into the space next to her. Taking full advantage of the situation, she flipped over onto Ash, straddling his stomach and holding his arms down.

"Well, well, boy, look what happens when you get smug."

With his clear disadvantage, Ash struggled and failed to break out of her grip. He relaxed and uttered, "You win."

Domino was shocked. She drew in a sharp breath, "WHAT!? Ash Ketchum QUITTING? What had you done with the real Ash?"

Ash rolled his eyes, "Look around us, we're in the middle of literally nowhere. This is worse than any of my other experiences with saving the world."

"How do you know this is something about saving the world?" Domino questioned.

"Well, why else would Arceus be standing with Sir Aaron right there?"

"Don't even trick me into looking back so you can retaliate. I play that game all the time."

"No, seriously, look back."

"If they are really here, then why are you saying this with such a calm face?"

A magnificent voice in the form of a mental projection behind her boomed and resonated around the bubble, "Looks like I won the first bet. Score one for psychic."

Another voice answered the last, "Just you see what will happen after I train his aura powers."

"Well you better hurry. I can only bring them here for another few weeks."

Domino turned back and her jaw dropped as she found herself staring into the glorious form of Arceus, who had white beams of light shooting out of his body, and a man with spiky hair, and dressed in medieval clothes. In one hand was a staff, and in the other, a chocolate bar.

She tried sputtering something, and didn't even notice when Ash escaped her grip and pulled her up in the process.

"So let me guess, the world ended and you brought me back so that I can time travel to what's before and save the mess?"

Sir Aaron looked at the boy, "Well, yes and no."

Arceus continued, "Unlike the other ones, this is actually a pretty bad mess. Apparently..."

Ash looked at him dubiously, "You're saying that your almost screwing the world by blowing it up isn't 'bad'?"

"Well compared to this, it really isn't," Sir Aaron answered, "The time-space net was distorted by Cyrus, so the entire world folded and collapsed on itself."

Arceus picked off, "What Aaron is saying is that time was messed up so much it had become a blurry mess for a circle of eight years.

"What does that mean?"

"It means that there is a blank gap in time for eight years. Currently in the timeline, there's nothing in those eight years. And if we don't fix it, for every second in this dimension here," Arceus pointed at the bubble, "The gap would be longer in the outside world."

"I don't get it."

"Just trust me, it's bad," Sir Aaron said.

"Wait, what about Celebi? Can't she..."

"Nope. Celebi's powers are based on the rules established by the axiom of time before, the one that was messed up by Cyrus."

"What about Dialga?"

Aaron shook his head, "Since Dialga WAS the Time Pokémon, when time was distorted, so was he. Same with Palkia and space."

Ash furrowed his brow, "So am I supposed to save the world?"

"We are sending you back eight years."

"Wait, I thought you just said that Dialga was missing and Celebi couldn't do anything. We can still time travel without any time Pokémon?"

Domino rolled her eyes and punched Ash, "HELLO? We are talking to Arceus here. The GOD Pokémon! He can do anything." She looked to Arceus for confirmation.

"Ow! Don't punch me!"

"Tough luck."

The Alpha Pokémon cleared his throat, "Yes, she's right, I can teleport you back eight years, but with rules of space distorted, even I would be put under a lot of strain, especially when I am trying to maintain this separation here."

"Why do you need to keep this dimension?"

Sir Aaron clarified, "This is the last shred of reality we have. If this also become distorted, there is no way we can recover the world. With it, once you stop Cyrus, we can trace it back using this bubble right here. It's a complicated process."

"Okay, in that case, let's start teleporting and get this over with," Ash said, clearly bored. With the amount of times he had saved the world, he was getting a little numb to the event.

"Wait, there's a few things you need to understand first."

"First is, exactly eight years ago, you're actually starting your Pokémon journey."

Ash's jaw fell.

"And second is, you can't just go and stop Cyrus. The rules of time and fanfiction prohibits that. You have to wait eight years to cycle back and stop Cyrus."

"I thought time was distorted?"

"Told you it's complicated."

"And the second thing is that no one except your closest friends and Pokémon remember you, and you too Domino. Even they have a memory block created by the distortion. I'll make something before I send you guys out that can lift the block."

"Wait, I'm in this world-saving thing too?" The blonde girl asked, surprised, "But my job is usually the complete opposite!"

"Yes. Arceus and I have searched among the lands, and you are the best that we can find to accompany Ash in this mission. Afterall, he will need as much help as he can get."

"WAIT! I had to deal with this blonde devil!?"

"I have to deal with this thick-headed boy!?"

Arceus and Sir Aaron looked at each other.

"You really think pairing them together is a good?"

"Trust me. I have seen the universe transform itself. This is a small problem."

"You transform the universe."

The Original One coughed, "That's beyond the point. Anyways, Domino, you are the best psychic that I can find, and Ash is the best Aura Guardian."

"I'm NOT psychic," She said firmly. Not once in her life, or her ex-life, that she had seen herself with any demonstration of the psychic power.

"Then how do you explain the pink energy you use to flip Ash over?"

"I don't know! You created this place."

"Also I'm not an Aura Guardian. I have only worked with aura that once with the Tree."

"You helped save the tree with Lucario without ANY training. That shows that you are a natural."

"And you Domino, lifted the block Mewtwo placed on you by yourself, again without any training, as soon as time-space was distorted, which awakened your powers. Mewtwo was," Sir Aaron thought for a moment about the tense he should use and settled with 'was', "yeah, was the strongest psychic Pokémon."

"Still, there are plenty of people who are stronger psychics than me."

"Strong doesn't necessarily mean the best. Best means that you have the potential to surpass most of them," Aaron assured her, "Of course, with training. I know you are not used to this kind of stuff happening, and the responsibility of saving the world is heavy. But you have to live up to it. It's our only hope."

"Oh, and don't be like an Ash," Arceus pointed a hoof at said boy, who was lying on his back with his hat covering his face, bored at the situation.

Domino kicked him. The latter bounced up, "Can you stop physically abusing me!? Gosh, you're worse than Misty."

"So yeah, anyways," An animated sweat dropped down from both the ancient knight and the deity's face, "Ash is going to be training with me on Aura, and Domino with Arceus on psychic."

"This new world is a lot more challenging compared to the last. Not necessarily with more powerful Pokémon and all of that, but with the issue of fate and fortune. You'll see what I mean when you get there. Even I'm getting a headache from explaining this, and I created all of it!"

"Oh and one more thing, I know it's hard to carry the responsibility of saving the world, but enjoy the eight years. Go on a journey, get your old Pokémon back, get new Pokémon. You can still challenge leagues, people, all that. And yes, you will still be saving the world over and over in the new world."

"Heck, you can even date!" The three humans looked at Arceus, who shrugged, "Just a suggestion. It's not like I'm actually Crator in disguise and can make you actually date."

"So like Boss said, he can only keep up this separation for a few weeks. So I wouldn't be training you, but instead teaching you how to train."

Ash listened closely.

"But first, let's get a hotdog. I'm starving."

"They have hotdogs in your time?"

"There is no "my time". Everything is distorted, remember?"

A voice popped up next to him, "THAT's not how this works."

"Hey Boss, can you use your cosmic power to produce a few hotdogs for us?"

Arceus rolled his eyes, "What's next, you want some mustard?"

"Yes, that'll be nice," Ash interrupted.

"Domino, I know you're not used to all this kinds of crazy stuff," The God Pokémon said to the girl in front of him who still could barely take in what's happening, "But rise up to the responsibility. You're a natural, like I said. Who knows, maybe it could be fun."

"Also think about it this way: The process is slowed by eight years, during which tinier scales of saving the world would occur. They'll be like a vaccine to this thing."

Domino eyed him suspiciously, "What do you mean by 'tinier'?"

"I don't know. The third birds being idiots could be one."

"What?"

"You'll see, I can't give too much spoilers."

He went silent for a while. Then he spoke up, "You want some hotdogs?"

"So aura. Bring me up your aura," Sir Aaron asked, now that everyone was full and ready to buckle down.

Ash raised up his hand and concentrated.

And concentrated.

Aaron chuckled, "No, not like this. First, you have to be serene. Coax it out."

Ash thought for a while, then toss his hand again, "Nah, I'm used to hurrying up." A blue orb came up in his hand.

Aaron's jaw dropped. "How!?"

Ash shrugged, "Enough ridiculous things happen to me. So what if I can alter the path of Aura."

Aaron eyed him and sighed, "Okay. Let's start the next step..."

"Psychic is in a sense like Aura, in the way that they can both be channeled based on your emotions. But Aura have to be prepared by the body, while psychic is in the form of brain waves."

"Most people think that psychic Pokémon is the most powerful, but that's not true. All living things, including Dark types and humans can be psychic once they learn how to channel the energy. In fact, humans have the most potential. Even though they are born weak, they can train up to be as strong as legendaries."

Domino interrupted, "Wouldn't psychic be neutralized by Dark types?"

"I said they could, but it would be really hard. You'll have to re-engineer something using Miracle Eye."

"Anyways, bring up your psychic again. We'll start with a method that I taught an Abra a long time ago. The first psychic non-legendary I created."

"Take these spoons. Start bending them."

A look of realization crossed her face, "So THAT's why those foxes always hold spoons."

"Is he ready, Aaron?"

"Yep, Ash is doing pretty well. He's got his basics down, and I taught him all of the important stuff he needed to know to train. Now, he's just got to take the time to actually train. How's Domino?'

"Fantastic. She's already got the Spoon Techniques down."

"Which one?"

"All of them."

"WHAT!? That's literally the entire psychic course that you had written."

"I know. Psychics learn fast."

"So you're ready to start the teleportation?"

"Yes. Now I just have to make Dialga and Palkia."

"How?"

Arceus swung his anglers. Two orbs appeared, which began to stretch themselves to form the figure of two giants, one pink and one blue.

Aaron sighed, "Just... I have nothing to say to that."

After another long explanation to the duo of why they can't just use Palkia and Dialga to fix the distortion, Arceus successfully opened a wormhole.

"Before you go," Aaron stopped the two, "Here Ash, take my staff." He threw his staff over. Ash's hand sunk a bit from the additional weight.

"This isn't my real one. Go to Cameron Palace. There's some stuff that I left there that will help you fight and train. They're with my outfit, which can also help you."

"Also, take care of Lucario for me. Please."

Ash nodded.

Arceus came over and chucked two orbs over, which melted into their bodies, "Here's the memory lift I just made. Don't panic. You can use it by just touching the person you are trying to remind while using your powers. Remember, you can only remind people to whom you were close."

"One more thing. Ash, you'll be in Pallet Town when you transport, and Domino would be at Viridian Forest. Try to meet up as soon as possible with each other, and then just follow your path as last time."

"Good luck, have fun." Arceus waved his hoof, and the duo was sucked into the wormhole.

The three legendaries and Aaron waited.

Nothing.

"Uhhh, Boss?"

"Yes?"

"What now?"

"I don't know. Kinda figure it would change the world instantly."

"Please tell me we don't have to actually wait eight years."

"We don't have to actually wait eight years."

"Now say it like you mean it."

"I can't. But what I can say is that you will babysit Dialga and Palkia while I go make something that can entertain us so we don't die of boredom.

Aaron looked up at the two towering legendaries, "I can't believe this is actually happening."

"They're a few hours old. Try to stop them from wreaking havoc while I'm gone, or at least do TOO much damage. I'm planning to building the Hall of Origins here."

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Enjoy everyone, and be sure to review. I would appreciate it a lot.


End file.
